ReadWrite - Designhttp://readwrite.com/tag/Design
enCopyright 2015 Wearable World Inc.http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:49:02 -0800Meet The Man Samsung Hired To Make Its Gadgets Droolworthy<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01c52432f0019512" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI3NTQ3OTYwNTQzMjExNDkw.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>The <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/11/24/samsung-galaxy-s5-sales-flop-shin-ouster">leveling off of Samsung’s mobile business last year</a> sent a message to the consumer electronics giant: Today’s tech users want more than just huge, plasticky phones. They want beautiful gadgets that are a pleasure to use.</p><p>Enter <a href="http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2999683&amp;cloc=joongangdaily|home|newslist1">Samsung's new design chief, Lee Don-Tae</a>. He just joined the technology giant this month to whip its products into (hopefully beautiful) shape. </p><p>He may be the new exec on the block, but Lee already has a lot to live up to. He was the former top executive of Tangerine, the design firm that also produced Jony Ive, Apple’s vice president of design. Now all eyes are on the new recruit, to see if he can create the same sort of consumer obsession for Samsung products that his Apple counterpart achieved for the Mac, iPod and iPhone.&nbsp;</p><blockquote tml-render-layout="inline"><p><strong>See also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/11/24/samsung-galaxy-s5-sales-flop-shin-ouster">Turns Out The Samsung Galaxy S5 Tanked Outside The U.S.</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>Here’s more on the man who might be Samsung’s version of Jony Ive.</p><h2>Think Different</h2><div tml-image="ci01c524724001efe2" tml-image-caption="" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTI3NTQ4MjM0ODg0MjM3MzIy.png" /><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div><p>Previously, Jang Dong-Hoon, vice president and head of Samsung Electronics’ design team, <a href="http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/article/4579/chief-designer-change-samsung-changes-head-design-team-weeks-after-launch-galaxy-s5">had been considered Samsung's Ive</a>. Now Lee appears to be taking up that mantle.&nbsp;</p><p>As senior vice president and head of global design, Lee will report directly to Yoon Boo-Keun, president of Samsung Electronics, and take the reins of the Samsung Design Center. Previously, the center, which is <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/04/19/how-samsung-competes-with-apple-in-design/">staffed by more than 1,000 people</a>, was controlled by Samsung's chief executive.</p><p>It's an encouraging move. Instead of corporate executives making design decisions, Samsung will rely on Lee. In his new role, his primary duty is “to elevate Samsung’s design prowess overall rather than focusing on a specific product,” a <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150115000949">Samsung official told <em>The Korea Herald</em></a>. </p><p>His new employer appears to have a lot of faith in him. One <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20131007000960">look at Lee's credentials</a>&nbsp;reveals why.&nbsp;</p><blockquote tml-render-layout="inline"><p><strong>See also: </strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2014/11/13/samsung-connected-health-smart-home-wearables-developers-sdc"><strong>Samsung Reveals Its Master Plan To Connect Your </strong>Life</a></p></blockquote><p>The South Korean national majored in industrial design at Hongik University, studied product design at the Royal College of Art in the U.K., and earned a Ph.D. from Yonsei University in human environment and design. At Tangerine, he has consulted for several global companies, including Samsung, LG, Toyota and British Airways since 1989. </p><p>The latter asked the firm to redesign its Club World fold-back seats for overnight business travelers in 1998. Lee worked on “Project Dusk” for the airline, and the team produced the following “z" style folding flat bed.&nbsp;</p><div tml-image="ci01c5243630012a83" tml-image-caption="&quot;Project Dusk&quot; by Tangerine for British Airways" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI3NTQ3OTc4NTI4Mzc2ODQy.jpg" /><figcaption>"Project Dusk" by Tangerine for British Airways</figcaption></figure></div><p>Chinese gadget maker Huawei also tapped the firm to help it build phones "for Western tastes that was true to the principles and values of the giant Chinese business,” according to <a href="http://www.tangerine.net/eng/study-case/10/Design-strategy">an online case study</a>.</p><p>When the then-co-president of Tangerine addressed the Thailand Creative &amp; Design Center last year, he spoke about a “stall point,” a threshold reached by mature businesses beyond which they can no longer progress or expand. Those words seems particularly prescient, given the current task that sits before Lee.&nbsp;</p><p>A somewhat soft-spoken, but less breathless speaker than Ive, Lee had advocated the use of "Cognitive Design,” or design that generates human desire by genuinely serving people.&nbsp;One of the most powerful ways to attract customers, he said, is by finding their unmet needs and satisfying them. It's&nbsp;a deeply pragmatic and creative approach that may be particularly handy now.&nbsp;</p><h2>The Grand Design</h2><p>Fortunately, Lee doesn’t have to start from scratch in his new position.</p><p>Samsung's latest Gear S smartwatch represents its best-looking and most intriguing wrist wearable to date. That's encouraging, considering its first attempt at a smartwatch, the original&nbsp;Gear, fell back on the the company's bad habit of cramming in ill-fitting hardware. The camera shoehorned into the wristband didn't win many fans.&nbsp;</p><div tml-image="ci01c07ec2f00199de" tml-image-caption="The Gear S, the phablet of smartwatches" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI2MjQwMTY0NDc2NDA1Nzcw.jpg" /><figcaption>The Gear S, the phablet of smartwatches</figcaption></figure></div><p>As for phones, the Note 4 phablet and mid-range A-series phones eschewed plastic metal-like trim for real metal, giving them a more premium feel than even the flagship Galaxy S5, a generally very solid device that suffered from&nbsp;uninspired design. (It was almost indistinguishable from its predecessor, the S4.)&nbsp;</p><p>Clearly, Samsung has been paying more attention to the look, feel and operation of its products.&nbsp;Cementing Samsung’s design ambitions, it also released the Galaxy Note Edge, a phone with a curved glass screen that folds back to offer a secondary "ticker-style” display.&nbsp;</p><div tml-image="ci01bf8884f0012a83" tml-image-caption="The Galaxy Note Edge" tml-render-layout="inline"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTI1OTY5NDEwMjc0OTYyMDUx.jpg" /><figcaption>The Galaxy Note Edge</figcaption></figure></div><p>I’ve seen it up close, and it’s beautiful—though the usefulness (and usability) of the ticker display is still in question at this point.&nbsp;</p><p>Phones fall under Lee's direction, but it's only one of many product lines. He’s expected to elevate “Samsung's design prowess overall,” and that's a huge task. The company makes many consumer products—including TVs, washers and refrigerators, as well as mobile devices. Some divisions seem to understand the value of design better than others. (The company even tapped designer Yves Béhar to help create one of its latest televisions, <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-06/samsung-and-yves-bhar-have-made-an-82inch-tv-thats-not-hideous">an 82-inch curved model</a> that was on display at the Consumer Electronics Show.)&nbsp;</p><p>Most of these products don’t tie into any sort of universal Samsung design ethos, though. The brand’s hardware products and software can vary quite a bit from division to division. The company sorely needs a single point of leadership to guide those devices. Initially, that will surely lead to more stunning mobile devices. It should also set cohesive guidelines that may extend to all points in Samsung’s connected life—from pocket and wrist to home and car.</p><p>Creating the design language for a range products that so much of the world uses is an enormous, high-pressure job.&nbsp;But if anyone can beat back the Korean company's stall point, it’s Lee. Or so Samsung hopes.&nbsp;</p><p><em>Photos of Don-Tae Lee captured from YouTube video by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0NQmKCGZqU">TCDCThailand</a>; "Project Dusk" photo courtesy of Tangerine; all other photos by Adriana Lee for ReadWrite</em></p><p><em>Correction: Originally, the story indicated that Jony Ive founded Tangerine. Martin Darbyshire and Clive Grinyer founded the firm. The text was also edited for clarity.&nbsp;</em></p>Samsung may have its own Jony Ive in new VP of design, Lee Don-Tae.http://readwrite.com/2015/01/21/don-tae-lee-samsung-design
http://readwrite.com/2015/01/21/don-tae-lee-samsung-designMobileWed, 21 Jan 2015 08:51:13 -0800Adriana LeeAirbnb's New Logo Prompts A Vagina Dialogue<!-- tml-version="2" --><p>Certainly, there's nothing homier than a vagina. Regardless of sexual preference, we all once cozied up in one. It's the doorway to life!</p><p>What better new logo for Airbnb, the website that facilitates your home away from home, than an abstract rendition of the female orifice? &nbsp;</p><p>On Wednesday, the San Francisco-based company rolled out a new logo, along with the looping new mark,&nbsp;opening its "doors&nbsp;to a new brand identity centered around the feeling of belonging," according to a press release.&nbsp;</p><p>Airbnb introduced the new logo&nbsp;along with a new &nbsp;<a href="http://create.airbnb.com/">website</a>&nbsp;"that allows its community to create their own unique symbols—something no company has ever done before."</p><p>Airbnb calls this new customizable logo "Bélo." More than a few Twitter users are seeing a vagina. But like much great art, it's open to interpretation. Some see an anus, others a scrotum. (ReadWrite asked Airbnb what its designers saw, and what they intended, and we're waiting to hear back.)</p><p>&nbsp;This is, after all, a company that prides itself not only on great customer service, but also design. (Seriously y'all, have you seen Airbnb's website? Stunning!) Airbnb cofounders Brian Chesky and Joe&nbsp;Gebbia<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/person/joe-gebbia"></a> both went to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, for cryin' out loud.</p><h2>It Takes One To Know One</h2><p>If a woman's most sacred flower isn't Airbnb's intention, well ... that's embarrassing. An argument could be made—and has been, within the ReadWrite offices—that this is yet another example of male-dominated Silicon Valley's "vagina blindness."&nbsp;</p><p>One need not look as far back as the unfortunately named iPad (which still sounds like Jony Ive's vision for a sanitary napkin) to see the ongoing slights to the female form.&nbsp;</p><p>Then again, Georgia O'Keefe claimed not to have seen the whole vagina-flower thing everybody else insisted she had going on in her posy paintings, going so far as to say in 1943:</p><blockquote><p>&nbsp;“Well—I made you take time to look at what I saw and when you took time to really notice my flowers you hung all your own associations with flowers on my flower and you write about my flower as if I think and see what you think and see of the flower—and I don’t.”&nbsp;</p></blockquote><p>Vagina or no, I like it. What's more, Airbnb has a new catchphrase that accompanies the logo: "Belong Anywhere." What's more welcoming to a vagina than that?&nbsp;</p>A design misfire.http://readwrite.com/2014/07/16/airbnb-belo-vagina-logo
http://readwrite.com/2014/07/16/airbnb-belo-vagina-logoWebWed, 16 Jul 2014 12:10:43 -0700Helen A.S. PopkinGoogle Launches Starter Kit For A More Consistent Web<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01b4229630018266" tml-render-position="center" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyNzYxMTE3NDg2MzEyNzI5.png" /></figure></div><p>Today Google launched <a href="https://developers.google.com/web/starter-kit/">Web Starter Kit</a>, a download that consists of all the templates and tooling developers need to create sites that function on any device and any display. &nbsp;</p><p>Today’s Internet users don’t have just one device. They prefer as physical keyboard for their PCs but they want as touch screens on mobile. These days, no two screen sizes are alike. Users expect the same website to perform differently depending on the device by which it is accessed.&nbsp;</p><p>Since these features don’t come built in to new websites, developers have to put them there, over and over again. This is referred to as “boilerplate,” chunks of essential code that needs to be manually inserted before any creative work can be done on a website.&nbsp;</p><p>Google’s Web Starter Kit provides much of that boilerplate as downloadable content, so developers can speed up their projects and get site building. In its introduction to the kit, Google <a href="https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/tools/">divides the workflow in to three</a>&nbsp;functions: developers can pick a template, build the site and test it out.</p><p>The Web Starter Kit builds off of a previous Google effort, <a href="https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/">Web Fundamentals</a>. This earlier effort informed developers about best practices for building accessible websites while harnessing the most modern technology possible. If you've been following previous Web development best practices, you'll find these tools build on the fundamentals you've already adopted.&nbsp;</p><p>The kit is designed to not just create attractive websites across Internet connected devices uses Google Chrome, but all browsers. That’s because it’s based on the Web standards provided by the <a href="http://www.w3.org/standards/">W3 Coalition</a> to make the Web accessible.&nbsp;</p><p>Google is not launching its Web Starter Kit into an empty market. Many developers have already adopted <a href="http://getbootstrap.com/">Bootstrap</a>, a similar framework for building cross-platform websites. However,&nbsp;Google engineer Addy Osmani <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7917469">said</a> on Hacker News that Google doesn't plan to compete with Bootstrap in terms of user interface components, of which it has notably less.</p><p>Google's Web Starter Kit may tie into some new design concepts coming from Google in the coming weeks and months, including the expansion of its Polymer Web design principles it announced at Google I/O 2013 and the rumored <a href="http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/06/11/exclusive-quantum-paper-and-googles-upcoming-effort-to-make-consistent-ui-simple/">Google Quantum Paper project</a> for Android design.</p><p>Bootstrap, Foundation and other existing boilerplate kits have very distinctive looks. If you've used them you can start to recognize patterns all over the Web. A little competition from Google will keep the next generation of cross-platform websites from all looking the same.</p><p><em>Photo via Web Starter Kit</em></p>Web Starter Kit wants to help you make sites that look great on every device.http://readwrite.com/2014/06/19/google-launches-starter-kit-for-a-more-consistent-web
http://readwrite.com/2014/06/19/google-launches-starter-kit-for-a-more-consistent-webHackThu, 19 Jun 2014 13:02:03 -0700Lauren OrsiniLego's Newest Set Is A Win For Women Everywhere<!-- tml-version="2" --><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280a060028266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNTY1MzgwODgxNjg5.jpg" /></figure></div><p><em>Editor's note: This post was originally published by our partners at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Lego-Female-Minifigure-Set-34920725">PopSugar Tech</a>.</em></p><p>Every year, Lego does this cool thing where it chooses a fan-designed set to become an actual Lego product that you can buy. Currently, a team with the best job ever is reviewing <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Lego-Cuusoo-Concept-Sets-33914522">this set of ideas</a>, with the Apple Store, a <em>Doctor Who</em> design, and a <em><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Big-Bang-Theory-iPhone-Cases-33799749">Big Bang Theory</a></em>set being among the finalists.</p><p>But let's go back to last year's fan-base project entries, because Lego just announced the winner for its 2013 Winter competition. (Six Winter projects and one from the Fall of 2013 were the finalists after getting at least 10,000 votes on the Lego site.)</p><p>The victor? A "Female Minifigure Set" that beat out ideas based on <em>Sherlock</em>, <em>The Legend of Zelda</em>, Japanese old-style architecture, <em>Adventure Time</em>, <em>The Super Dimension Fortress Macross</em>, and the DeLorean.</p><p><a href="https://ideas.lego.com/projects/15401#FeedbackTab">Submitted by Alatariel Elensar in May 2012</a>, the Fall '13 science-based design features a Lego paleontologist, an astronomer, a chemist, and all their scientific equipment.</p><p>The actual Lego set will be titled "Research Institute" and is currently in development to be released in August of this year. (Still no word on pricing.)</p><p>You may remember that past Lego fan-base winners include a <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Geeky-Toys-2014-34129302#photo-34155456">Ghostbusters</a> 30th anniversary set and the Mars Curiosity Rover.</p><p>"Although recently Lego <a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/LEGO-Minifigure-Series-11-31551452">has started to design and add more female figures</a> to their sets, they are still a minority. A small set of minifigures would provide a great opportunity to add women to our Lego town or city communities," wrote Elensar when she submitted her entry. "I have designed some professional female minifigures that also show that girls can become anything they want, including a paleontologist or an astronomer."</p><p>Hear, hear!</p><p>See more in the official Lego announcement here:</p><p><em>Images and video courtesy of <a href="https://ideas.lego.com/projects/15401#FeedbackTab">Lego</a></em></p><p><strong>More stories from PopSugar Tech:<br tml-linebreak="true" /></strong></p><p><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/World-Cup-Google-Street-View-34928974#photo-34929224
">6 Ways to Feel Like You're at the World Cup</a><br tml-linebreak="true" /><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Family-Sharing-iOS-34921180
">Why Moms Will Love Apple's New iOS</a><br tml-linebreak="true" /><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Women-Tech-Events-34905772#photo-34905794
">10 Photos That Say So Much About the State of Women in Tech</a><br tml-linebreak="true" /><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Outdoors-Gift-Ideas-2014-34930913#opening-slide
">Call of the Wild Dad: 8 Outdoorsy Father's Day Gift Ideas</a><br tml-linebreak="true" /><a href="http://www.geeksugar.com/Coding-Classes-Girls-29860374">9 Coding Camps Just For Geek Girls</a></p>A "Female Minifigure Set" won as this year's fan-designed Lego set.http://readwrite.com/2014/06/09/lego-female-minifigure-set
http://readwrite.com/2014/06/09/lego-female-minifigure-setPlayMon, 09 Jun 2014 06:18:07 -0700Lisette MejiaPinterest Cofounder Evan Sharp: How The Visual Web Helps You See The Future<!-- tml-version="2" --><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280b450018266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNjUwNDc0OTI2Njk0.jpg" /></figure></div><p><em><a href="http://readwrite.com/series/builders">ReadWriteBuilders</a>&nbsp;is a series of interviews with developers, designers and other architects of the programmable future.</em></p><p>Evan Sharp was still an architecture student at Columbia University when he and two friends got the idea to start Pinterest as a side project back in 2009.</p><p>Everyone knows how that story ended. Today, Pinterest is one of the largest social networks online, dwarfed only by Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest is now available in 22 languages and is home to more than 20 billion user-generated "<a href="https://help.pinterest.com/entries/22980372-Pins-and-likes#pin">pins</a>"—the service's version of posts, which are basically just images or videos users add to Pinterest with a link back to its source.</p><blockquote tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><p><strong>See also: </strong><strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/07/25/mindboggling-facts-that-will-make-you-care-about-pinterest#feed=/search?keyword=pinterest&amp;awesm=~ovFP0oRJznXLdb">Mindboggling Facts That Will Make You Care About Pinterest</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>In many ways, the creation of Pinterest foreshadowed trends that would encompass the Web years later. Its iconic image-heavy grid and predominantly mobile audience (75 percent of its total audience), became the characteristics that are now synonymous with the Visual Web, a collection of next generation apps that prioritize pictures over text.</p><p>Now, Pinterest is doubling down on visual discovery. Through "<a href="http://developers.pinterest.com/rich_pins/">rich pins</a>," a way of associating useful textual details with categories of images, Pinterest is aiming to become as vertically expansive as it is wide. Through the <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/explore/">Interests Project</a>, the service is trying to figure out your obsessions before you realize them yourself.</p><p>I chatted with Sharp about Pinterest innovations past and present and his role in bringing them to life.</p><h2>In The Beginning Was The Grid</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280d550018266"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNzkyNDc3Mjc3NDY1.jpg" /></figure></div><p><strong><em>ReadWrite:</em></strong><em>Let’s start at the beginning. Tell me about how you first came up with the Pinterest grid.</em></p><p><strong>Evan Sharp:</strong>&nbsp;The Pinterest grid. Man, that was a long time ago, it feels like.&nbsp;</p><p>Well I think the grid is really interesting and I think it could actually, hopefully, fundamentally change the way people discover things online in the future, but back in the beginning the grid was very much about collections. It wasn’t about a grid. It was about how we could build a product that allows you to browse, what people are collecting and putting together, in a way that made it really easy for everybody to roll, right?&nbsp;</p><p>But I think what’s interesting is that throughout history, people have always had collections of things they love, and a lot of the places, a lot of the stores that we go to, a lot of the museums, a lot of the public spaces in the world are actually organized around collections. They’re organized around museum collections, or what items a store carries, and those spaces are all about browsing, they’re about going through the rack of clothing and picking out the one you like.</p><p>And I actually think what’s different about the grid online is that it enables you to do the same thing. To go through all of the objects on Pinterest and pick out the few that resonate with you.</p><blockquote tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><p><strong>See also:&nbsp;</strong><strong><a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/12/18/visual-web-2013-trends#feed=/search?keyword=visual+web&amp;awesm=~ovFOwrilZ3E7ZR">The Triumph Of The Visual Web</a></strong></p></blockquote><p>That was really what caused us to create that grid. At the time, there were a lot of real time text-based services. Twitter was getting going when we started Pinterest. Friendfeed was a hot startup. Even Google, right—it’s a list of text. I think a list of text is really great. It’s about certainty. It’s about, “This is the first result, this is the second result, this is the third result.”&nbsp;</p><p>Whereas the Pinterest grid is much more about possibilities. It’s about, “Which of these things do you like? Pick out the things that you like. Discover the things you didn’t know about before but can now kind of find. Or you can browse.”</p><p>We work really hard to make the site feel simple, but behind that interface are tens of billions of objects all linked together by real people who have very similar interests and aspirations. What the grid enables is for you to get into that set of objects via the ones that are relevant to you.</p><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>You say “we” a lot, but you’re really the guiding force behind the decision to make it a grid, right?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;Yeah, I don’t know what that means. Just to be really honest with you, I did design it, I coded the grid back in the day, but I have a really hard time separating any design from the idea of the product and the data that powers the product.&nbsp;</p><p>And that’s why I try and emphasize that it’s not just about browsing, it’s about discovery. It’s about the collection that powers the grid and what makes the combination really useful. Pinterest really is a visual discovery tool. And you need both to browse—the collections as well as the interface. But to answer your question, I did do the work. [Laughs]</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280d5c0006d19" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNzk0MzU2MzMxMTEw.jpg" /></figure></div><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>How has your background in architecture influenced your choice for the grid design?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;That’s a really good question. It’s a really hard one to answer, you know? The things you know can be so subtle and influence you in so many ways.&nbsp;</p><p>I think one thing that architecture really gave me was a little bit of perspective, maybe, on the history of design and product on a very large scale. It kind of gives me a little bit of humility—I hope—in that the things that I’m building, the things that the company builds, any given thing we ship, probably will only be around for a year or two years before we make it better.</p><p>But that’s also really freeing. In architecture, every little mistake you make in the building ends up staying there for a hundred, two hundred years. I’m exaggerating, but on the Internet, you have a lot of freedom. The fact that nothing you build will be around for more than a few years is both really weird and changes the way you think about things, but also really freeing in that you’re allowed to move much faster and make mistakes without worrying much about it.</p><h2>And Then The Grid Was Everywhere</h2><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>What was your reaction to the Pinterest grid becoming an Internet-wide trend?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong> Oh, man! I think it’s really great. I’d really like to see more services that enable more types of behavior. I think there was a lot of crap from a lot of stories about cloning or copycatting, and I don’t really think of it that way.&nbsp;</p><p>I think what’s special about Pinterest is not just the grid, it’s not just the content, it’s not the design—that’s part of it, it’s a big part of it, but it’s also what powers that. And of course, most importantly are the people that created the collections and that are using Pinterest to inspire other people.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280d630006d19" tml-render-position="left" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAxNzk1Njk4NzY1MDgx.png" /></figure></div><p>I also think that online discovery, which is kind of what I think Pinterest is good at, is in its very, very early days online. It’s kind of like where search was before Google came along and totally changed everything.</p><p>Google’s really great for answering specific questions, for giving you a list of one-two-three-four, but there really hasn’t been a service before that lets you kind of lets you explore and save all types of content, curated by other people, and browse through the grid to find the ones that speak to you.&nbsp;</p><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>If Pinterest is based around collections, which are a gender-neutral concept, what was your reaction to Pinterest skewing so female?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong> I think it’s really cool. I don’t think that Pinterest is for women specifically, I don’t think that we’re trying to build a service just for women.&nbsp;</p><p>Actually, I think Pinterest should be for everyone. I think it can be for everyone. A lot of what we’re working on this year is relevance, making Pinterest more relevant to more people with more interests, and making it easier for those people to understand why Pinterest is great for them. That’s a really big online project this year at the company.</p><p>I think what’s important about Pinterest, and the reason we have the grid on the phone as well as on the desktop is because Pinterest allows you to answer a lot of questions you might not be able to answer otherwise.&nbsp;</p><p>So if you wanted to search Google for “Where should I go on vacation?” or “How should I decorate my living room?” or “What should I cook for dinner?” you can do that, but they’re not going to give you a grid of results to browse through. On Pinterest, we can do that.</p><p>We can help you answer lots of questions that no other service can answer right now. For us, the grid is just the way, literally the gateway, for you to get into the results to that query and find the answer, whether you’re on a phone or a tablet or desktop.</p><h2>Discovering Your Interests On Pinterest</h2><p><em><strong>RW:</strong>&nbsp;What's the <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/explore/">Interests Project</a>?</em></p><p>The Interests Project is one of those first steps, I think, to mapping all the different types of interests in the world and through that, helping people discover things they didn’t even know they were looking for. So with Interests, and we’re in the very early days now, the goal is to show you the areas that you seem the most interested in and how they evolve with you as your tastes and interests evolve on the service.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b27959b0016d19" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMjkzNTY0MTI1Mzc1NzY5.jpg" /></figure></div><p>I think that this is really positive. For example, you may know that you love gardening, and you pin a lot of plants for your garden. But what’s really cool on Pinterest is that the more you pin gardening stuff, the more we can help you discover that what you actually love vertical gardening, or annual flowers, not perennial flowers. And I think that self discovery is a really interesting and beautiful byproduct of the Pinterest product.&nbsp;</p><p>Before you really know what you love, you go through a series of things that interest you. I know one friend ended up taking a summer trip somewhere he didn’t even know he wanted to go or was interested in until he discovered it on Pinterest. The Interests Project is a way for us to help make the whole service feel more personalized to what you love, in a way that no other service can.&nbsp;</p><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>Along the same lines, let’s talk about <a href="http://developers.pinterest.com/rich_pins/">rich pins</a>.</em></p><p><strong>ES:&nbsp;</strong>Rich pins are really exciting to me, but I’m pretty excitable.&nbsp;</p><p>You know what we’re really doing with rich pins? We’re trying to build the world’s largest inventory of things. Because we’re not constrained by the need to have a physical warehouse, because what we’re about is exploration and discovery, we can literally catalog and connect everyone in the world to every object that interests them at a very high level. Rich pins is the first step to us doing that, to us saying, “This isn’t just an image, this is a product you can actually buy at Anthropologie.”</p><p>For us, rich pins is basically a building block that enables us to connect people to what interests them and to other people who share their interest, and the more information we can help people find about a product, the more useful the service becomes.&nbsp;</p><h2>The Evolution Of A Designer</h2><p><em><strong>RW:</strong> How has your role at Pinterest changed since you helped to found it?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;Well, it’s always changing. At the very beginning, what I did was design, and then I did the front end coding. That’s not true at all today. Today what I do is manage what we call the creative team, and the creative team encompasses everything from the interface design team to our brand team, which is our writers and our brand designers, as well as a little bit of user research, which we think is a really important strategic skillset.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280d6a0016d19" tml-render-position="left" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNzk3NTc3NTUxMTI5.jpg" /></figure></div><p>So my role now is a little bit higher level. I work really closely with Ben [Silbermann, Pinterest cofounder and CEO] and the product team and the engineering team and the design team to make sure we’re really razor-focused on the most important projects and building the best solutions to the problems we have.&nbsp;</p><p>But I’m still really close to design. It’s my background and my passion. It sounds stupid but, every pixel we put out there and every interface we draw, you know it’s not going to last, but what really makes me happy is making those pixels dance while they’re alive. So even as I spend my time managing people and attending meetings, I always make sure to spend a good part of my week with the designers and the engineers making our stuff great.&nbsp;</p><p>What’s great about software is if you make software five percent better, you make it five percent better for everyone. It’s not like physical products where premium cameras cost $10,000 and no one’s going to ever use them. With free software, the better you make it, the better it is for everyone in the world and that makes me really excited. So I always spend a lot of time on that.&nbsp;</p><p><em><strong>RW:</strong> What do you see in the future of Pinterest?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;[Exhales] So much cool stuff.&nbsp;</p><p>I think one of the things that makes Pinterest really special and different, to me at least, is the endless amount of inspiration you can get. So we have a lot of different things that we’re trying to enable and one of them is that when you browse Pinterest, it feels like a catalog handpicked just for you—that never happens—that you can go on browsing forever.&nbsp;</p><p>And if you can make it an endless browsing experience, you help it reach the place where it’s inspiring for every aspect in your life, a place where you can go to find anything you need or anything you didn’t know you needed, a place where you can go to plan all the most important events in your life.&nbsp;</p><p>Like when you buy your first home or have your first kid, there’s so many things you don’t know that you need, you literally have no idea what you’re doing. And I think we’re building a tool that can actually help you answer those questions really quickly in a way that’s really personalized. “This is what a great house means to me, this is what raising kids means to me.”&nbsp;</p><p>And that’s the really exciting and meaningful vision for me, at least. Something that makes me exciting to come into work everyday.</p><h2>From Interests To Inspiration (And Back)</h2><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>How do you personally use Pinterest?&nbsp;</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;I think it’s changed a lot. When I first started Pinterest I was working in architecture, so I pinned a lot of architecture inspiration—building designs and renderings that inspired me as I created things. Actually I still use Pinterest that way, not for architecture as much, but I still use it for personal creative inspiration. It’s a really big source of that for me.&nbsp;</p><p>I also use it to find a lot of recipes. I use our <a href="http://blog.pinterest.com/post/74067371719/more-ways-to-search-for-recipes">Recipe Search</a> for that. I love cooking and every time I look something I try and find it on Pinterest.</p><p>And the third way might be travel. My wife and I love to travel all the time, and we find a ton of stuff on Pinterest on places we want to go, either in California or around the world. And often all it takes is a single pin, like a crazy beautiful gorgeous shot of a waterfall or something, that gets me into that deep journey: “What is that? Where is that? How do we get there?”</p><p><em><strong>RW: </strong>Sounds like a mix of creativity and utility. Do you think Pinterest use is going to morph from predominantly creativite use to utility for a majority of users?</em></p><p><strong>ES:</strong>&nbsp;I think utility is a really good word. When I say the word “discovery,” I always worry that people don’t fully understand what I mean, but to me discovery is utility. The way people think search is a utility, when you search something and get links that are useful.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b280d6f0016d19" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAxNzk5NzI1MDQwMjMw.jpg" /></figure></div><p>Literally the process of discovering these things in your life is something that people don’t think about doing today because there aren’t services that have done that. People don’t think about searching “living room inspiration” on Google. They literally don’t do that because the results don’t work, and they become accustomed to not searching that.</p><p>But on Pinterest that can be a really fruitful and valuable thing to search. And while search is not our entire product development, I think it’s a really good way to understand what I mean when I say “discovery.”</p><p>We can help you find inspiration, and help you discover things you didn’t even know you wanted, for all aspects of your life. And to me that’s a really useful, utility-focused thing, right? It’s a tool people use to plan their futures.&nbsp;</p><p>People use Twitter to find out what’s going on right now. Maybe they use Facebook to reminisce and understand the past.</p><p>Pinterest is very much a tool for helping you understand the future, and what possibilities there are for you to live a life that’s even more meaningful to you. Then with Pinterest you can discover things that make that real, you can take action on those things. And that’s a really exciting utility proposition.</p><p><em>Photos of Evan Sharp courtesy of Pinterest</em></p>How an architect and designer built the grid that's become iconic to the Visual Web.http://readwrite.com/2014/02/25/evan-sharp-pinterest-cofounder-builders
http://readwrite.com/2014/02/25/evan-sharp-pinterest-cofounder-buildersSocialTue, 25 Feb 2014 06:31:00 -0800Lauren OrsiniPoll Shows Users Not Thrilled About Yahoo Logo Changes<!-- tml-version="2" --><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282ebe0018266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDg3ODY4OTMyNzEw.png" /></figure></div><p>Yahoo’s new logo will debut next week, and in an effort to drum up excitement, the Web-media giant has been running a “<a href="http://www.yahoo.com/dailylogo">30 days of change</a>” campaign, featuring a new logo on Yahoo's homepage and other properties every day in the runup to the unveiling Sep. 5.</p><p>But as it turns out, users aren’t that excited about another change.</p><p><a href="http://polarb.com/polls/tags/yahoo30">A poll launched</a> by the startup Polar shows that of the 24 logos showcased so far, just one logo is more favored than Yahoo's longtime logo, which replaced its original one in 1995. Over 84,000 votes have been collected from users wanting to voice their opinion of the redesign.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://polarb.com/polls/tags/yahoo30/118170">Day 10’s logo</a> (pictured) was the only one that garnered enough votes to beat out the original, 75 percent of voters prefer it to the current logo. Interestingly, of all the logos released so far, it is the closest match to the current one; the small changes include a sans serif font with a bolder look.&nbsp;</p><p>The logos with the most drastic shifts away from tradition, Days <a href="http://polarb.com/polls/tags/yahoo30/116115">Four</a> and <a href="http://polarb.com/polls/tags/yahoo30/116751">Six</a>, were the most disliked among voters.</p><h2>Poll Position</h2><p>“We started running these polls because nobody was measuring sentiment, or which designs people really like the best,” said Dmitry Dragilev, lead marketer at Polar. “Data-based design is something [Yahoo CEO Marissa] Mayer holds dear to her heart.”&nbsp;</p><p>The logo redesign is the latest in a series of changes that Yahoo has implemented since<a href="http://readwrite.com/2012/07/19/6-surprising-facts-about-yahoo-ceo-marissa-mayer#awesm=~og1Cq4FEYcA1sU">&nbsp;Mayer became CEO last year</a>. In addition to going on an <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/08/02/yahoo-rockmelt-acquisition#awesm=~og1LlxuRwryJsa">acquisition spree</a>, the company <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/08/27/yahoo-rolls-out-redesign#feed=/author/selena-larson&amp;awesm=~og1CJaXwkvxSIa">rolled out a new look</a> for its news and application websites this week that streamlines the Yahoo experience.&nbsp;The current logo has been headlining the company since 1995 and is no doubt in need of a makeover.&nbsp;</p><p>The new logo will be a cherry on top of the sundae Mayer has rebuilt during her short tenure, and it looks like users are hoping for a modern take on Yahoo’s brand that doesn’t stray too far away from the look they are used to. That said, if Yahoo's trademark exclamation point were eliminated, users would <a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/07/yahoo_set_to_change_its_logo/">probably celebrate</a>.&nbsp;</p>Over 84,000 votes have been cast regarding Yahoo's new logo. The results? People don't like change.http://readwrite.com/2013/08/30/yahoo-logo-change-poll
http://readwrite.com/2013/08/30/yahoo-logo-change-pollSocialFri, 30 Aug 2013 12:42:49 -0700Selena LarsonGoogle Wants To Drive Development Of Its Own Self-Driving Car<!-- tml-version="2" --><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282e300038266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDUwMDE5NTkzNDk3.jpg" /></figure></div><p>Google is designing its own self-driving car and has plans to build a fleet of cars it dubs “robo taxis,” blogger <a href="http://jessicalessin.com/2013/08/23/exclusive-google-designing-its-own-self-driving-car-considers-robo-taxi-2/">Jessica Lessin reports</a>.&nbsp;The news comes on the heels of Google Ventures investing $258 million into the personal mobile car service Uber, a company now valued at $3.5 billion,&nbsp;<a href="http://allthingsd.com/20130822/uber-filing-in-delaware-shows-tpg-investment-at-3-5-billion-valuation-google-ventures-also-in/?mod=tweet">according to TechCrunch</a>.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://readwrite.com/2010/10/11/googles_self-driving_car_where_it_stands_in_histor#awesm=~ofne0h08mjDFiI">Google has been working on self-driving cars</a>&nbsp;for a few years. But the reported plan to partner with contract manufacturers to build robotic cars—essentially a fleet of self-driving Ubers—without the involvement of major automakers would be unprecedented.</p><p></p><p></p>Google is designing its own self-driving car and plans to build a fleet of “robo taxis,” a tech blogger reports.http://readwrite.com/2013/08/23/google-design-self-driving-cars
http://readwrite.com/2013/08/23/google-design-self-driving-carsHackFri, 23 Aug 2013 14:56:55 -0700ReadWrite EditorsHow To Actually Design Your Own Moto X<!-- tml-version="2" --><p>Motorola wants you to design your own smartphone. With the forthcoming Moto X, consumers will be able to choose colors, highlights, storage capability, a personal engraving on back and a message on the startup screen and (eventually) wireless carrier. No other smartphone maker has ever let users design their own phone to this extent before—so there is a reasonable degree of excitement for this experiment from Google's handset-making subsidiary.&nbsp;</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2816390028266" tml-render-position="right" tml-render-size="medium"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAyNDAzMTY4MDA1NDAx.jpg" /></figure></div><p>But how do you actually design your own smartphone?</p><p>It is fairly simple, actually. Motorola has set up a site it calls “Moto Maker” that lets you customize your device to your specifications and then ship it to you within four days.&nbsp;</p><p>For now, you can only design your own Moto X through AT&amp;T. Motorola hasn’t announced availability for Moto Maker for other carriers at this time.</p><p>Here’s how it works.</p><h2>Step 1: Go To Your Local AT&amp;T Retailer</h2><p>Check out the Moto X. There should be samples of the different colors and styles you can choose. If you don’t want to customize your Moto X, AT&amp;T stores will have stock black and white varieties in 16 GB and 32 GB models to choose from.</p><p>Buy the smartphone like you would any other. Choose the amount of storage that you want, sell your soul to AT&amp;T—errr, sign a two-year contract with the carrier—and pay for it.&nbsp;</p><p>Instead of walking out the door with a new smartphone though, you will get a card from AT&amp;T. The card will contain a PIN that you scratch off that acts as your receipt of purchase of the Moto X and will let you customize your phone in Moto Maker.</p><h2>Step 1a: Purchase A Moto X Online</h2><p>Instead of going to the store, you can purchase a Moto X online by going to <a href="http://motomaker.com/">motomaker.com</a>. After designing your phone, you then select your cellular plan through AT&amp;T or enter information about your current plan. Enter your billing and shipping information.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282d8b0018266"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDA1MTkwODc3Nzk4.jpg" /></figure></div><h2>Step 2: Go To The Moto Maker Website To Design Your Phone</h2><p>We will proceed as if you got a card from AT&amp;T with your PIN.</p><p>Once you go to Moto Maker, you will be presented with a screen where you enter the PIN from your card. Input the CAPTCHA text Motorola uses to fend off phone-ordering bots and get going.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282d930008266"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDA3NjA2NjYwMzc3.jpg" /></figure></div><p>You will be presented with options in designing your Moto X in what amounts to an online wizard, similar to a desktop-software installation guide. Here are the options you will be presented with through the process.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282d990018266"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDA5NzU0MTQ5NDc4.jpg" /></figure></div><h2>Step 3: Pick Your Colors</h2><p>In Moto Maker, your wizard is divided into into three screen sections.</p><p>There are three groups of colors: Cool (blues and greens), Neutral (black and white and patterned) and Warm (reds, oranges, yellow). These are for the back of the phone. For the front of the phone, you can only choose from white or black.</p><p>Tabs on the right of the wizard let you change different aspects of the color design—front, back and accents. The accents are for the power and volume buttons as well as the ring around the camera on the back.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282da00016d19"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDExMzY0NzYyMjE0.jpg" /></figure></div><p></p><h2>Step 4: Personalize The Back And Startup Screen</h2><p>In addition to setting the colors of your phone, you can have message printed on back as a "signature." Motorola has suggested you put your email on the back in case you lose your phone (and someone is nice enough to return it to you if they find it). You can put any short message that you want in this section.</p><p>From here, you click off the "styling" tab that decides the coloring and click on "features."</p><p>In features, you can choose a personalized message on the startup screen when you power the phone on from the power off position. Say something quirky or self assuring (Looking Good Today, for instance). The personal message has a character limit, so make it punchy.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282da90028266"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDEzNTEyMjQ1ODYy.jpg" /></figure></div><h2>Step 5: Pick Your Storage And Wallpaper</h2><p>The Moto X comes in 16 GB and 32 GB. You already made the decision on what storage model you want at the retail store. If you got the 16 GB version at the store but want to upgrade, you can choose to do so here and pay the difference at checkout.&nbsp;</p><p>You can also set the wallpaper that your Moto X will arrive with. There are a small variety of wallpapers to choose from, none of which are particularly compelling.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282db30056d19"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDE2MTk2NzMxNDk0.jpg" /></figure></div><h2>Step 7: Choose A Case And Accessories</h2><p>What? You didn't think that you would get through this process without Motorola trying to upsell you, did you? Moto X consumers can choose from a variety of cases that will run you in the range of $40. You can also add earbuds in the color of your device that will also cost you extra. Good thing? The wall charger is included free.</p><h2>Step 8: Sync Your Google Account</h2><p>If you have a Gmail address, you have a Google profile. If you have ever used an Android smartphone before, you know that you can sign into your Google profile to have all your contacts, pictures and media synced from an old device.&nbsp;</p><p>This is where the process can get a bit confusing. Google will ask if you want to share the fact that you are using the Moto Maker app with your Google+ circles. You can skip this if you like, but you have to click through the widget to make sure that "only you" are seeing your activity. This is a basic "app permissions" screen that you might see any time you download an Android app from Google Play.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282dbd0036d19"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDE5MTQ5MzkwNDM4.jpg" /></figure></div><p>Syncing your Google account will essentially be like presigning into your Android. The Moto X should arrive as if you have already set up your Android with your Google profile.</p><p>You will also have the option of using Motorola Migrate where you can transfer all of your contacts and media from a different Android smartphone to your Moto X. This includes a separate wizard.&nbsp;</p><h2>Step 9: Go To Checkout</h2><p>Once you are done designing your Moto X, you just go through a normal checkout process. If you got your Moto X PIN from an AT&amp;T store, it is just a matter of telling Motorola where to ship the device and paying for any additional accessories. If you are buying the Moto X online, you will have to enter your AT&amp;T information or set up a new AT&amp;T account.</p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b282dc80018266"><figure><img src="http://a1.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzA0MDIxODMzNzM5NTQ1.jpg" /></figure></div><p>All in all, the process is easy. It does get a little confusing around the part where you sync your Google profile, but if you want to skip that and set it up when your device arrives, that is an option. Motorola promises to ship the Moto X to you in four days. Then you can style like Motorola evangelist Guy Kawasaki did when he got his Moto X in the mail in the video below.</p>The Moto Maker wizard is simple to use and gives you the opportunity to design your own smartphone.http://readwrite.com/2013/08/16/how-to-design-a-moto-x-moto-maker
http://readwrite.com/2013/08/16/how-to-design-a-moto-x-moto-makerMobileFri, 16 Aug 2013 06:30:00 -0700Dan Rowinski5 Tools For Creating Your Own Infographics<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01b2829390008266" tml-render-position="center" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a3.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzA4NTY5NjI3OTI5.jpg" /></figure></div><p>Five years ago, almost nobody knew what the heck an infographic was. (I sure didn’t, and I was a graphic design major in college at the time.)</p><p>Now that the infographic craze has saturated us with new visual knowledge (and marketing gimmicks), something interesting has happened: The creation of infographics has become democratized. No longer is the act of creating a visual data story confined to professional designers using professional tools like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Now anyone with a data set can build an infographic.</p><p><strong>(See also <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/29/5-tools-every-tech-freelancer-should-learn">5 Business &amp; Design Tools Every Tech Freelancer Should Learn</a>.)</strong></p><p>Trust me when I say that with these tools, you don’t have to be a designer to create a high-quality, effective infographic. Does this mean there’s no place for professional designers and data? Not at all. Uniqueness and customization will always carry a premium (as <a href="http://columnfivemedia.com/">Column Five</a> can attest), but there are plenty of instances where a prefab or low-cost alternative can be mighty useful.</p><p>With that in mind, I’ve cobbled together a list of five services/methods that even non-designers can use to create or commission great infographics.</p><h2><a href="http://infogr.am/">Infogr.am</a>: All The Bells And Whistles</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2829430026d19"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzExMjUzOTE2OTUz.png" /></figure></div><p>Infogr.am is free, and free is good. It’s a popular platform that has seen more than 800,000 infographics created to-date. Infogr.am is nice and simple, but the features it does have are power-packed. For instance, you can make more than 30 different types of charts (compared to 11 in Excel). Speaking of Excel, Infogr.am’s built-in spreadsheet editor makes editing data easy and enables importing of XLS and CSV files.</p><p>One of its best features is the ability to download files in PNG or PDF format. This is perfect for including the infographic in a presentation or emailing itto a colleague. Many people will like the fact that you can publish your infographic online, which makes it sharable and embeddable. If your data is sensitive, give it a password and a private link.</p><p>Infogr.am is far and away my favorite online infographics editor.</p><h2><a href="http://infoactive.co/">InfoActive</a>: Interactive, Live And Mobile-Friendly</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b28294b0018266"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzEzNjY5ODQxNTEw.png" /></figure></div><p>Of all the infographic tools that claim to make data “fun,” (there are more than you’d think), InfoActive – now in beta testing - probably comes closest to delivering on the promise. It’s unique features – including interactivity and live data - make it seem more “up-to-date” than the competition.</p><p>The platform lets you visualize data that isn’t just static - a big plus in today’s environment where people want to become part of the story. The addition of embedding live data is important given how quickly information can become outdated. The InfoActive website phrases it like this: “Hitting ‘publish’ isn’t the end of the story; it’s just the beginning.”</p><p>Simplicity is a core feature here: the InfoActive site boasts that you don’t even need a tutorial to get started. No word yet on what, if anything, InfoActive will cost post-beta.</p><h2><a href="http://piktochart.com/">Piktochart</a>: Drag-And-Drop Templates Galore</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2829540028266"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzE1NTQ4OTU1MjM4.png" /></figure></div><p>For $29 a month, Piktochart gives you access to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WYSIWYG">WYSIWYG</a> editor that will let you drag and drop elements to create an infographic. Some 300,000 users strong, including clients such as Harvard University, Red Bull and GE, Piktochart has built that following on the back of more than 90 included themes. But from a design standpoint, many of those themes are decent, but others are mundane or downright bad.</p><p>As with Infogr.am, you can share your creations via social networks or download print-quality files. If you like the Piktochart editor - which is free to try - you may find the service worth paying for. One nice bonus: In the latest version, Piktochart lets users create search friendly graphics!</p><h2><a href="http://www.easel.ly/">Easel.ly</a>: Theme-Based Drag-And-Drop With Objects</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2829590018266"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzE3Njk2NDMzNDMz.png" /></figure></div><p>Like InfoActive, Easel.ly is currently in beta. Easel.ly also takes a theme-based, drag-and-drop WYSIWYG approach to infographic creation, but it comes loaded with a modest selection of just 10 “vhemes” (visual themes).</p><p>Easel.ly sets itself apart by making it easy to insert a selection of objects from categories as varied as people, banners, icons, animals and nature (among others).</p><p>While the current theme selection is a bit limited, people who enjoy the platform and interface can completely customize their infographics through the upload feature.</p><h2><a href="http://www-958.ibm.com/software/analytics/labs/manyeyes/#home">Many Eyes V2</a>: Pre-Made Visualization Filters</h2><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b28295f0026d19"><figure><img src="http://a2.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNzE5MzA2OTg2MDg2.png" /></figure></div><p>While there are no themes in the new (beta) version of IBM’s Many Eyes, there are 11 different ways to visualize data, many of which you won’t find on the other platforms and services listed here. These visualization features let you go beyond pie charts to harness the power of word trees, heat maps, tree maps and yes, the infamous word cloud.</p><p>It all starts by uploading a data set (or selecting one from the site, though many are basically useless at the moment) and then simply applying a visualization style. The visualizations can be broken down into three categories: Compare A Set Of Values Track Rises And Falls Over Time See Parts Of A Whole</p><p>One of the coolest options is the View In Context visualization, a type of line graph that shows changes in data over a long set of intervals (like time, for example).</p><p>Note that the output of Many Eyes might not technically qualify as an infographic all by itself. But it’s a great tool to add variety to other offerings, like Infogr.am.</p><p></p><p><em>Lead image courtesy of <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com">Shutterstock</a>.&nbsp;</em></p>With these services, you don’t have to be a designer to create a high-quality, effective infographic.http://readwrite.com/2013/06/10/5-tools-for-creating-your-own-infographics
http://readwrite.com/2013/06/10/5-tools-for-creating-your-own-infographicsHackMon, 10 Jun 2013 06:36:00 -0700Chris McConnellWWDC Update: iRadio Signs Warner Music, Official App Hints At Flat iOS 7, New MacBook Pro Rumors<!-- tml-version="2" --><div tml-image="ci01b2828c70016d19" tml-render-position="center" tml-render-size="large"><figure><img src="http://a4.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,q_80,w_620/MTIyMzAzNjc3NDMxMTg2MDIy.jpg" /></figure></div><p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57587243-93/apple-reaches-iradio-deal-with-warner-music-suggesting-wwdc-launch">Apple has signed an agreement to bring Warner Music into the fold</a> of its new streaming radio service, according to a CNET report. Though previously thought to have been inked a few weeks back, terms with Warner apparently weren't finalized until Sunday. The deal brings Apple closer to having the service, possibly to be called 'iRadio,' ready for premiere at next week's <a href="https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/">Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)</a>.</p><p><strong>(See also <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/28/lowered-expectations-apples-big-developers-conference">Expectations Lowered For Apple's Big Developers Conference - WWDC</a>.)</strong></p><p></p><div tml-image="ci01b2828ce0038266"><figure><img src="http://a5.files.readwrite.com/image/upload/c_fill,cs_srgb,w_620/MTIyMzAzNjgwMzgzOTA1MDQ5.png" /></figure></div><p>On Monday, meanwhile, the company released the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id640199958?mt=8">official WWDC app for iOS devices</a>, which features a slightly <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/24/ios-7-rumor-watch-black-white-and-flat-all-over">"flattened" design</a> that's heavy on black and white and light on textures and shadows. The app's design lends credence to rumors that <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/24/ios-7-rumor-watch-black-white-and-flat-all-over">iOS 7 will move away from skeuomorphic design trends</a>&nbsp;toward a simpler flat appearance. (A <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeuomorph">skeuomoprhic design mimics real-world materials</a> - for example, the virtual leather grain binding in the current iCal app.)</p><p><strong>(See also <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/02/15/forget-skeuomorphism-the-digital-world-is-flat">Forget Skeuomorphism: The (Digital) World Is Getting Flatter</a>.)</strong></p><p>Apple has already announced it will preview the next generations of its iOS and OS X operating systems at the conference.&nbsp;The company is also rumored to be working on refreshed MacBook Pro laptops, possibly featuring Intel's new 'Haswell' processors, <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/28/lowered-expectations-apples-big-developers-conference">for launch during&nbsp;the keynote address</a>&nbsp;June 10 in San Francisco.</p><h2>Lining Up The Big Three For iRadio</h2><p>On the streaming music front, Apple inked a licensing deal with Universal Music last month, and is still negotiating with Sony, presumably to have all three of the music industry's largest&nbsp;companies&nbsp;on board for a WWDC iRadio launch.&nbsp;While the Universal deal covers only recorded music, the Warner agreement is said to span recordings and publishing rights, and Apple is reportedly in talks with both arms of Sony's music business. Sources for both CNET and <em>The New York Times</em> have said that Apple will be paying per-stream and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/technology/apple-is-said-to-be-pressing-to-complete-deals-for-internet-radio.html">royalty rates at least on par with, if not higher than, what Pandora pays</a> music companies in its licensing arrangements.</p><p>Perhaps the most popular of current internet radio services, Pandora counts some 70 million active users. Apple, meanwhile, has registered more than 500 million iTunes accounts. Apple reportedly tried to leverage its massive user base to negotiate cheaper licensing arrangements than Pandora's, but the music labels balked. Reports say that Apple plans to build advertising into its radio service in order to drive additional revenues - which will be shared with the music companies.</p><p><strong>(See Also: <a href="http://readwrite.com/2013/05/29/tim-cook-apples-very-grand-vision-for-tv-wearable-tech#feed=%2Ftag%2Fapple&amp;_tid=hub-listing-article-stream&amp;_tact=click+%3A+A&amp;_tval=22&amp;_tlbl=Position%3A+22">Tim Cook on Apple's 'Very Grand' Vision for TV, Wearable Tech &amp; Much More</a>)&nbsp;</strong></p><h2>Thinner 13" MacBook Pro?</h2><p>Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has published his forecast for WWDC, highlighting expectations of a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display. According to a 9to5Mac report, <a href="http://9to5mac.com/2013/06/02/wwdc-2013-slimmer-retina-macbook-pro-w1080p-camera-and-macbook-air-microphone-improvements-expected/">Kuo expects the updated model to feature Intel's new Haswell chips</a> in a slightly slimmer industrial design with an upgraded 1080p resolution webcam. The current 15-inch MacBook Pro retina is actually a bit slimmer than its little brother; it could be that Apple is prepping a &nbsp;13-inch model that matches the thickness of the current 15-inch machine.</p><p>Kuo also predicts a refresh to the MacBook Air line using the dual-microphone setup employed by the current MacBook Pros. The two-microphone array allows for advanced noise cancellation techniques to enhance FaceTime calls and other voice applications. Better voice recognition would, of course, be key to incorporating the voice-activated Siri service, should Apple choose to bring such functionality to the Mac.&nbsp;</p><p>Stay tuned to ReadWrite for the latest on what to expect at Apple's WWDC.&nbsp;</p><p><em>WWDC app acreenshots via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id640199958?mt=8">iTunes.com</a>.</em></p>Apple has signed the second of three big music labels it needs to launch iRadio at its developers conference in mid June. Meanwhile, the official WWDC iOS app hints at a flatter iOS 7 design.http://readwrite.com/2013/06/03/wwdc-countdown-iradio-flat-ios-7-new-macbook-pro-rumors
http://readwrite.com/2013/06/03/wwdc-countdown-iradio-flat-ios-7-new-macbook-pro-rumorsMobileMon, 03 Jun 2013 14:03:16 -0700Noah Kravitz